Fredrik Jacobson, of Sweden, watches his drive off the 10th tee during the final round of the RBC Heritage golf tournament in Hilton Head Island, S.C., Sunday, April 15, 2012. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)

CROMWELL -- Some golfers used their first PGA Tour victory at the Travelers Championship to help jump-start their careers. Bubba Watson, Hunter Mahan and Stewart Cink come to mind.

Some veteran golfers made the tournament their final tour win before moving onto the Champions Tour. Kenny Perry, Brad Faxon and Peter Jacobsen all accomplished that feat.

Fredrik Jacobson falls somewhere in between. It took him nine years to finally win on tour last year at the Travelers, shooting a 20-under-par total for four rounds, tying for second best in tournament history, to win by one shot last June over Ryan Moore and John Rollins.

"The depth here (on the PGA Tour) is very good," Jacobson said at Tuesday's Media Day. "I gave myself more chances last year (to win) than any other year. This year, I haven't had any proper chances (to win). I haven't had a good chance to close one out. Obviously, winning for the first time was huge. That's why I came over in the first place (in 2003). I came in with high expectations and high goals for myself, but it took awhile to grind it out."

The question remains will this be the only tour win for the 37-year-old Swedish player, who did win three times worldwide, all in 2003. His best two finishes in the last 10 months have been in a pair of World Golf Championship events, including second at the HSBC Champions in November.

Jacobson's best finish this season is a tie for 13th at the Northern Trust Open in February. He's made over 12 million in career earnings and currently stands 87th in the FedExCup standings, 47th in the world golf rankings and 79th on the tour's money list.

"This year, I have not played quite as well, but I'm still fairly optimistic," Jacobson said.

Jacobson is still not 100 percent recovered from a left thumb injury he suffered last November while working in his backyard in Sweden. A torn ligament put him in a cast for four weeks, forcing Jacobson to miss the start of the season.

He returned to the PGA Tour at the Northern Trust Open.

"It took me awhile before I could hit shots. My distance and yardage have come back and I can swing (the club) fully," Jacobson said. "At this point, I feel really good about my last three tournaments."

The one consistent thing about Jacobson is his ability to make cuts in PGA Tour events. He has made all eight this year and 12 straight overall. He also tied for 14th in the U.S. Open and tied for 16th in the British Open, respectively, last year. He tied for 19th at the Masters in April.

Jacobson has secured his tour playing privileges through next year thanks to his weekend play at last year's Travelers. He vaulted into the lead after a third-round 63, then barely held off the competition with a 4-under 66 in the final round.

He made just one bogey in the tournament, preventing him from becoming the first player to win a tournament without a bogey since Lee Trevino at the 1974 New Orleans Open. He was the first non-American to win this event since Greg Norman in 1995.

"This course doesn't feel that easy but the winning score always seems to be low anyways," Jacobson said. "If you are not playing well, it is certainly not an easy course. You can't have one day where you shoot even par (and expect to win). But I probably didn't expect to make just one bogey."

Jacobson will play two straight weeks heading into the Travelers, including the week before at the U.S. Open. He's not sure what it will be like to defend at TPC River Highlands in June, having not done it in six years.

But he feels he will enjoy it more.

"With age, you get a little bit more appreciative. I try to make the most out of those things," Jacobson said. "Hopefully, I'll really enjoy the week when I come back here."